STUDY - Curry Consumption & Cognitive Function - More Curries, Less Dementia?

Study from Singapore shows increase frequency of curries is associated with better maintenance of cognitve function, More Curry, Less Dementia?

Comments & Notes
This very interesting study from Singapore highlights that we can be proactive in protecting our cognitive function as we age, that we do not need to accept that 'there is nothing we can do to protect, maintain our cognitive function as we age, that we can proactively make choices to retard cognitive decline. 

This study done in Singapore studied more than 2000 (2734) adults and investigated the potential neurocognition protective effects of dietary curcumin in curry consumed with food, as part of the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study. 

What the researchers did
(1) Assess the participants' curry consumption habits via food questionnaire

The researchers asked the study participants questions regarding their curry consumption, (1) Never or Rarely (< 1x/year); (2) Occasionally (>1x/year but <1x/month); Often (> 1x/mth but <1x/week); Very Often (at least 1x/week); they asked this question 4 years apart 

 (2) They performed neurocognitive assessments on the participants, including a locally translated version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) as well as a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive tests was used for assessment of cognitive domains, including verbal learning and memory: visual memory: , attention and working memory; language: executive function, visual, spatial and constructional ability; visual-motor tracking and mental flexibility. The assessment was administered by trained psychology research assistants in the participants’ habitual language: English, Mandarin, or dialects

What the researchers found
The researchers concluded that the consumption of dietary curcumin was associated with the maintenance over time of higher functioning on attention, short-term working memory, visual spatial constructional ability, language and executive function among community-dwelling older Asian adults.

The Study
Ng TP, Nyunt MSZ, Gao Q, Gwee X, Chua DQL, Yap KB. Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption and Neurocognitive Function from 4.5-Year Follow-Up of Community-Dwelling Older Adults (Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study). Nutrients. 2022 Mar 11;14(6):1189. doi: 10.3390/nu14061189. PMID: 35334842; PMCID: PMC8952785.


Link to Study on Pubmed
Curry Consumption and Neurocognitive Function from 4.5-Year Follow-Up of Community-Dwelling Older Adults (Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study